December_12_1833_Bishop_Louis_Valentin_DuBourg_died_at_the_age_of

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St Louis City Jewel Box St John s Cardinals world Cardinals made
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St Louis City Jewel Box St John s Cardinals world Cardinals made
December 12 
 
1833  Bishop Louis Valentin DuBourg died at the age of 66.  Bishop DuBourg supported 
the re-establishment of the Jesuits here, laid the foundation for the cathedral, and opened 
St. Louis College, the forerunner of Washington University. 
  
1839  A last minute truce averted a war between Missouri and Iowa.  The border dispute 
began when the Clark County Sheriff tried to collect taxes along the disputed state line.  
He was thrown in jail by Iowa authorities.  Both Missouri and Iowa called out the militia.  
But "The Honey War" was settled before there was any fighting. 
 
1840  Mayor John Darby purchased six acres from the heirs of Pierre Chouteau, under the 
condition that it be used “as a public square forever.” His $25,000 deal caused some to 
refer to the area bounded by Market, Clark, 12th and 13th Streets as “Darby’s Ditch.”  The 
area was known as Washington Square until an 1890 ordinance made it the site of the 
new City Hall.  Construction began in 1892 and was City Hall was completed in 1904. 
 
1861  General Halleck, Commander of the Union Department of the West, ordered that 
$10,000 be collected from wealthy Southern sympathizers in St. Louis.  A board of 
assessment would decide how much each person would pay.  The order was clearly 
unconstitutional, but most paid up and agreed to take a loyalty oath. 
 
1867  The town of Marissa, Illinois was laid out by James Stewart.  The town postmaster 
gave it the name of a historic town.  According to Latin records, Gabinius destroyed the 
original Marissa. 
  
1873  Enterprising downtown merchants organized a ferry service--across the street!  The 
first boat was launched at Third and Washington, "where the current of mud ran deepest 
and most rapid."  The boat, which could hold several people, was pulled across the street 
by ropes. 
  
1878  The first issue of the St. Louis Post and Dispatch hit the streets, just days after 
Joseph Pulitzer bought the bankrupt Dispatch at an auction.  The four page first issue 
edition had a press run of 4,020 and was distributed by wheelbarrow.  The name was 
shortened to the Post-Dispatch on March 10, 1879. 
 
1902  The first exhibit for the world's fair arrived here.  It was a boiler from Dusseldorf, 
to be used as part of the plant to generate power for the fair. 
 
1903  The Cardinals made one of the worst trades in their history.  They dealt rookie 
Mordecai “Three Fingers” Brown to the Cubs for pitcher Jack Taylor and catcher Larry 
McLean. The team believed Brown’s handicap would not allow him to be successful for 
very long.  He went on to win 230 more games and lead the Cubs to four pennants. 
 
1912  Boxer Henry Armstrong was born.  He moved to St. Louis as a young boy.  
Armstrong would become the first boxer to hold titles simultaneously in three weight 
classes.  He rang up 152 victories in 14 years before retiring in 1945. 
 
1913  Mayor Henry Kiel signed a bill designating 77 acres in Forest Park to be used as a 
zoo.  By 1914, a couple of dozen animals were residing in the park, but there were no 
adequate shelters.  A zoo tax was finally passed in 1916. 
 
1921  Ground was broken for the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children here.  Each of 
the $2 million Shriners in the country donated $2 for the hospital fund.  They also 
pledged to contribute $2 each year as long as it was needed. 
 
1926  Colonel John Paegelow, the commander of Scott Air Force Base, ordered the 
construction of a 176-foot-tall mooring mast.  The mast was to be capable of handling the 
largest airships in the world.  He hoped to turn Scott into the biggest airship base in the 
world, a title currently held by the Naval Air Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey. 
 
1931  East St. Louis Police Chief James Leahy vowed he would allow no more 
"Communist" meetings in his city.  Sixteen people were arrested for vagrancy during a 
meeting to discuss relief for the unemployed.  Those arrested denied that they were 
Communists. 
 
1935  Work began on the new floral conservatory at Forest Park.  The Jewel Box 
received its name from its predecessor, an ordinary greenhouse built in 1913 on the site 
of a dump. William Becker, an engineer with the City's Board of Public Service, designed 
the Jewel Box with its 15,000 square feet of glass.  The new Jewel Box opened on 
November 14, 1936. 
 
1938  The United States Supreme Court ruled against the University of Missouri.  The 
court ordered the university to admit Lloyd Gaines, who was black.  It was the first in a 
series of Supreme Court decisions that would overturn the doctrine of "separate but 
equal." 
 
1944  A crowd jammed the Old Courthouse rotunda to honor black aviator Wendell Pruitt 
of St. Louis.  Pruitt won the Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down three German 
planes, destroying 70 on the ground and helping sink an enemy destroyer.  Four months 
later, he was killed while training pilots for the "Tuskegee Airmen."   In 1955, the city 
would name its gleaming new public housing project after Pruitt. 
 
1957  The McDonnell F-101 "Voodoo" established the world's absolute speed record for 
airplanes at 1,207.6 miles per hour. 
 
1963  The $18 million St. John's Hospital on Ballas was dedicated.  It replaced the old St. 
John's, located at 307 South Euclid.  St. John's traces its roots to the arrival of six Sisters 
of Mercy in 1856.  The first St. John's building was located at 10th and Morgan, now 
Delmar. 
 
1969  For only the second time, a small plane flew through the legs of the Arch.  Five 
days later, another one followed. A $500 reward was offered for the culprits, but they 
were never caught. 
 
1970  Patrolman William Downey became the first University City Police officer to die 
in the line of duty.  Downey was shot as he interrupted a gas station hold-up. 
 
1972   Over 100,000 families were without power, traffic was paralyzed and schools and 
businesses were closed by a tremendous ice storm.  The National Weather Service called 
it "one of the major ice storms of the century" in St. Louis. 
 
1972  The great Larry Wilson announced his retirement.  Wilson was a member of the 
original Cardinals, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.  He was a safety who 
helped popularize the safety blitz and set a team record with 52 interceptions during his 
13-year career. 
 
1980  The Cardinals made one of their least-memorable deals.  They traded Rolllie 
Fingers, Ted Simmons and Pete Vuckovich to the Brewers.  In return, the Birds got Larry 
Sorenson, Sixto Lezcano, and minor leaguers David Green and David LaPoint.  Fingers 
would win the Cy Young in 1981.  Vuckovich won it the following year.  
 
1980  KMOX TV reporter Steve Trenkmann and his two sons were killed in an accident 
on Highway 40 near McCausland.  A car crossed the grassy median, became airborne, 
and sheared off the top of Trenkmann's car. 
 
1984  The Cardinals traded "Silent George" Hendrick and a minor league catcher to the 
Pittsburgh Pirates.  It was a good deal for the Cardinals, as they picked up pitcher John 
Tudor and catcher Brian Harper. 
 
1997  The Rolling Stones played a concert at the Trans World Dome.  The show was 
broadcast nationwide on pay-per-view.  Along with opening act Kenny Wayne Shephard, 
he Stones were joined by Dave Mathews, sax player Joshua Redman and blues legend 
Taj Mahal.